Got distracted by being off this week on account of the happy occasion of getting a new dug.
But in case you missed it, you can read ClydeMillarWynant’s excellent Real Cricket Match Report here.
For Your Televisual Pleasure
Friday 28th August
| Brumbies v Western Force | 10:05 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Glasgow v Edinburgh | 19:35 | Premier Sports 1 |
Saturday 29th August
| Waratahs v Rebels | 10:15 | Sky Sports Action |
| Sale v Bristol | 15:00 | Channel 5 / BT Sport 2 |
| Dragons v Scarlets | 17:15 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Ulster v Leinster | 19:35 | Premier Sports 1 |
Sunday 30th August
| Harlequins v Northampton | 14:00 | BT Sport 1 |
| Exeter v Worcester | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Munster v Connacht | 15:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Gloucester v Leicester | 16:30 | BT Sport 1 |
| Cardiff v Ospreys | 17:00 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Zebre v Treviso | 19:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
Monday 31st August
| London Irish v Saracens | 13:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Bath v Wasps | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
Ovally Balls 
Would be surprised if leinster don’t sweep all before them
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When are the semi-finals and final relative to the European Cup games? That might help (or not).
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‘Edinburgh could just beat Ulster….
Huh. In your dreams, based on today’s performance.’
Is this the same just lost to connacht Ulster?
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Anyhoo, Glasgow deserved winners. Disrupted well and we couldn’t get going, pack went well with brown good. Didn’t think that should have been a yellow for Jones
Our lineout was terrible. Otherwise disjointed. Shiel didn’t have a fun night but then he spent it with a face full of weedgie. Chamberlain didn’t look out of place for a sprog and neither did frostwick when he came on.
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European Cup’s back on the weekend of the 19th/20th, CMW. The Pro14/12 final is the week before.
The English league finishes the regular season that week, 12th/13th. Saracens v Exeter is one of the games.
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OK so on the face of it that seems like the Euro stuff gets in the way of Leinster winning the Pro14 a bit less than usual. Just have to hope they haven’t got their act together for the semi-final or final and one of their opponents clicks. Though part of me doesn’t mind Munster and Ulster’s waits going on a bit longer as them not actually winning the thing makes the winning that they do do a lot easier to put up with. That said I’ll still support them against the blue menace, but it’s got to be Go Embra I guess.
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Rebels 3-0 up in a must-win match for both them and the Tahs for the right to play the Brumbies in the Final in two weeks. Tahs with a kickball penalty but they opt for the lineout. MUl eventually stopped a couple of metres out. A couple of pick and go phases and Jake Gordon dives over untouched around the fringes. Under the posts, so a quick easy conversion. 7-3 Tahs.
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Rebels force an attacking lineout from the restart and get a penalty for offside, i think. Cue the all-smiling, all-grinning, all-matey fucking ‘handbags’ beloved of modern rugby. What a load of shit. Tomua hits the upright and the Tahs manage to scramble it out for another Rebels lineout. A bit messy but they retain it until a prop gets it and it’s knocked on.
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Steady scrum, chip downfield and then they turn it over at the ruck but hoof it out in goal. Rebels scrum on their own 10. Reset. They take too long getting it out looking for the penalty and are lucky that the Tahs knock it on after it pops out. Same again. Reset again. Fatties need to learn we don’t really fancy watching this all day.
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Fatties keep the pie racks off the floor just long enough for the gallant 9 to stop waving his arms and get the ball out. Bit of kicking later and the Tahs work a good lineout move that almost sees them through again. Forward pass kills it.
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Tahs take a quick lineout from the clearance and go through 7 phases making decent metres through the middle. Eventually try the up and under and the Rebels clear, but from a pass back into the 22. Tahs win the lineout and go through 8 or 9 phases before the 8 crashes over. TMO checks the grounding, but it’s fine. 14-3 Tahs.
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Rebels lineout just outside the Tahs 22. This time they get the maul rolling, but good defence and the Tahs have the scrum. Rebels have got good metres from deep kick offs. Ping-pong from the scrum and eventually the Rebels overcook it for a Tahs lineout outside the Rebels 22. Skew throw. Scrum Rebels.
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Early shove and a free kick. They opt to reset. Great hands down the line and they’re up to the Tahs 22! A fumble from the 9 and momentum lost! Bloody hell!
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Tahs return the favour from the scrum and flood downfield. Force the lineout inside the 22. Waves after wave of slick attacking comes to nought. Who am I kidding? Turnover after the Tahs props flop once time too many. They blew that.
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Shanked clearance and attacking lineout Tahs. Rebels steal it and clear to halfway. Tahs carrier isolated and concedes the penalty. Great kick sees the Rebels with a lineout 10m out. Penalty from the maul and another lineout.
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Maul, pick and go, penalty for offsides again. Lineout. Maul. Offsides. Penalty. Yellow. Hannigan gone.
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Lineout. Maul. Penalty coming. No need! Centre running from deep crashes over! Tomua adds the extras. 14-10 Tahs. Just before the break too. Tahs sparked into life by that score and they get some very slick passes going, but without making much progress. They do get the penalty and stretch the lead back to 7 at the break. Good last 10 minutes or so there! Matxh just beginning to spark into life.
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Probably should learn the players names a bit better. Fatty and glorious 9 does tend to leave a few others out.
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Right. Rebels restart long and high. Tahs send it downfield and the Rebels run back stvthem. Make good yards until a wayward pass looking Koroibete gifts the Tahs a lineout. They overthrow and the Rebels have it. They’re retaining well and getting on the front foot, albeit a bit sideways at times. Finally hauled into touch a couple of metres short.
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Lineout. Maul. Naisarani bursts through and OVER! Hannigan’s first act since coming back on was to not be able to stop the maul. 17-all!
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Naisarani undoes his great work by conceding a penalty from the kick off by not releasing. Tahs for the corner. Lineout. Hannigan takes. Maul then wider. 5 phases. 9 phases. Abel, the replacement 16 has a bash but isn’t. Eventually Harry Johnson-Holmes barrels over! Developing a wee man crush on the ginger ninja! Extras good and 24-17 Tahs!
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Now the Tahs concede from the restart and a lineout to the Rebels 7m out is taken. Tahs rip it but into touch. Lineout and they go wide and rhen try the kick-pass. Doesn’t work. Scrum Tahs. They clear to the 22. Go wide but badly. Eventually after a couple of kicks the Tahs have the lineout just inside their own half.
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Rebels win it but then kick away posession and concede a penalry to boot. Which the Tahs do. Lineout outside the Rebels 22. My picture goes blank only to be restored with the Tahs celebrating under the posts. Great offload by Hooper carved open the Rebels defence. 31-17 to the Tahs!
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Rebels now deep in the Tahs 22, but it’s turned over and the penalty goes against them! They probably needed to get something out of that. Tahs miss touch and the Rebels fly downfield, get it wide to Koroibete who does superbly to hold off two defenders and slide into the corner with an outstretched arm! To’omua adds the extras from out wide! Game on.
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Tahs back on attack inside the Rebels 10m. Penalty Tahs for taking the man out in the air at the lineout. Yellow too, albeit perhaps a bit soft. Scrum Tahs from a free kick and they make yards down the middle! Couple of lick and go phases under the posts and then out wide! Did he ground it? No! Held up so a drop out from under the posts.
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Rebels make good yards and Hannigan is had again! Penalty Rebels 12m out. Lineout that is. Maul. Inching forwards. Splinters. Good hands to keep it in play. More short stuff and Naisarani is over for his second! Good strength and leg drive! Conversion is… wide! One ofcthe easier ones and To’omua pushes it wide! 31-29 Tahs with 8 to go!
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Bit of aerial ping-pong before the Rebels settle it down at the ruck. Good contestation by the Tahs and the hurried clearance is charged down! Ball sits up nicely and some sickeningly good looking outside half gathers and races in under the posts!
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38-29 Yahs with 5 to go. Rebels get a penalty from the kick off and opt for posts. OVER! 38-32 with 3 left!
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Rebels with a penalty up to half way. Lineout. Maul. Wide. Skip pass. Recycle. Again. In the 22. Knock on! Oh no! With a minute left! Scrum Tahs. Doubt we’ll get more than a reset and boot into touch here. Yip. Reset. Time up. Rebels pinged. Replacement pie scoffer furious, but it’s all over! Tahs by 6. Whilst I was typing that the Rebels somehow kept it alive but behind their own line and eventually took it out for the end.
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Not sure what the fixtures are next week, but it’s mathematically possible for any of the Reds, Tahs or Rebels to snatch 2nd place and a home playoff for a shot at the Brumbies. From what I understand?
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Will Harrison is the boy band good looker who scored the charge down try. Right. Rebels at home to the Force next weekend and the Reds host the Brumbies. The Tahs need the Force to beat the Rebels to stay alive.
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Czechs come back to beat Luxembourg by 5 wickets.
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125 years ago today the sport of Rugby League was born. Happy birthday to the honourable, decent, sport of the people
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Pro 16, the:n:
https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/sa-franchises-on-verge-trading-super-rugby-for-pro14/
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Pro is the way to go. If you didn’t know.
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Lovely wee offload to Sale fullback and they’re in for the first try.
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Solomona picks up a loose pass and is in for the second! Brizzle done nothing so far.
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Faf in for third! Conversion good, so 21 points in 20 minutes!
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‘Pro is the way to go. If you didn’t know.’
Sounds better in Dutch.
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Bristol 2nds, BB.
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Sale sadly having to beat the side in front of them and are doing so by scoring their fourth try in 30 minutes.
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Bristol Cubs score off an interception!
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Luckily for all of you I wasn’t aware of the Sale-Briz battle. And we’re going to a braai in 10 minutes so you avoid the stream of consciousless babble for the evening.
I would say may the teams I be ked win but Bristol need a miracle from here. #doublejinx
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Bit of a pounding, this
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Luxembourg lost their second game of the day as well, going down to the Belgium. The Belgian captain Shaheryar Butt is very good. Scored 81* in that game.
Now it’s CR v Belgium, a battle of the heavyweight beer makers. And Captain Butt scored 125* this time with some monster sixes.
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Rugby is an extremely boring game when it isn’t a contest, there’s no one watching live and the commentary is in matter-of-fact German. Thank you Sale and Bristol. Anticipating you, Drags and Scarlets.
Also watching the ‘highlights’ of the EPL and ProWoo games from this past last week – oh dear.
So much time watching the fatties endlessly battering away on the try line for an eventual touch down that needs confirmation from the TMO. Tedium Ohne Ende. Worse and more time consuming than scrum resets.
Help!
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Iks – as it turns out, a pretty competitive match.
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Oops. Bloggentator’s curse.
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But the Drags respond in a fine manner!
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Scarlets are playing recklessly. Very exciting to watch.
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